Simple Moments
by sosmitten
Summary: Missing and alternate scenes for 7.20, 7.21, and 7.22.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** I've been trying to work on some other things, but these scenes have been very insistent in my head, so I'm going to try to exorcise them. These moments (and this one in particular from _Lorelai? Lorelai_?) were inspired by **bellamn16** in the Lorelai and Luke thread at TWoP. Thanks to **KinoFille** and **Lula Bo** for the beta.

* * *

Luke watches Lorelai exit the stage toward the back of the bar, watches her walk away from the town, from her daughter, from him. He turns toward the bar and ducks his head, feeling dozens of curious eyes on him, boring into his back. Focusing on his beer, he makes surreptitious glances in the direction Lorelai left, watching for her to return.

Several minutes later, while the crowd is engrossed in Gypsy's rendition of Pat Benatar's _Hit Me With Your Best Shot_, he tries to head off in that direction stealthily, as if he's just going to the bathroom, but Miss Patty catches his eye and winks at him. In the quiet back hallway of the bar he looks over at the door to the women's room only briefly before leaving through the door with the brightly lit exit sign above it.

The exit dumps him out the side of the building. As soon as he walks around to the street he sees her, sitting on a bench, leaning forward a bit as her hands grip the seat. She looks up at the sound of his footsteps, her expression self-conscious and uncertain.

"Hey," he says softly.

"Hey." She waves toward his chest and smiles with forced lightness. "So I guess you were able to get all those sugar packets stocked and ketchup bottles filled after all, huh?"

Standing awkwardly in front of her, he shrugs as he shifts his weight from one foot to the other. She motions to the seat next to her and he sits a little gingerly, his fingers drumming nervously on his knees. "Are you, uh, okay?" he asks.

It's his first response to seeing her alone on this bench after having fled the bustle of KC's, but once the words are out, it feels like an odd thing to have said, given the circumstances, and especially coming from him.

She narrows her eyes slightly, curious, then just dips her head. "I should know better than to get drunk in the presence of the town."

It sounds like the beginning of an excuse, an explanation he doesn't want to hear. Sneaking a glance at her before returning his gaze to his nervous fingers, he says carefully, "You're not that drunk."

She looks surprised briefly, then sighs. "No, I'm not," she admits. "Nothing like an embarrassing public declaration to sober you right up."

He has an immediate gut reaction to the fact that she's embarrassed and he barely stops himself from questioning her about that, but what speaks more clearly is what's not being said. There's no denial, no 'let's forget this happened.' The flip remarks are an instinctive self-protective reaction, but this Lorelai isn't running from her actions and that thought makes his insides unwind a bit.

Out of the corner of his eye he can see the toes of her shoes catch on the ground and when he tilts his head and turns to look at her, the strain in her knuckles shows him just how tightly she's holding on to the bench. She's still staring down at her feet when she goes on speaking. "Everything was starting to feel normal again."

He wants to say that he hasn't seen normal in so long that he's not sure he could find it if he went looking for it, but she's still talking. "I'm sorry if this makes things all complicated."

"Maybe everything just got a whole lot simpler."

She jerks her head up at that, watches him warily. "Nothing is ever that simple," she says sadly.

He hesitates before murmuring, "Maybe it could be."

"Luke," she says, her voice plaintive.

He'd wanted to offer reassurance, but he's clearly overshot because even though her words resonate with hope, there's fear in her expression. "Hey, it's okay," he replies, waving her off. "I just wanted to see…" He pauses as 'if you meant it' blinks in his brain like a big neon teleprompter. "You," he finishes lamely, then stammers, "uh, see if you were okay."

He sees a flash of something, regret maybe, or sadness, in Lorelai's eyes. "That's…" she lets out an uncertain huff of breath, "thank you for that." Biting her lip, she gestures vaguely toward the bar. "Well, I should…" She sighs heavily. "I think that I'm just going to get Rory and take her home."

He nods as they both stand. "I should go back in. I told Zach-"

"Of course. Yeah," she cuts in, nodding. She takes a few steps toward the bar, then turns back, her arms crossed protectively across her chest and a few strands of her hair falling across her face. "Good night, Luke."

"Good night."

He watches until the front door of the bar closes behind her, and then walks around, entering through the side door as unobtrusively as he can and making a quick stop in the bathroom. By the time he makes it back inside, Rory and Lorelai have left. He stays long enough to buy Zach a beer, thereby registering his presence.

Standing silently at the bar, Luke tries to pay attention to the various people who get up on stage to make fools of themselves. He's pretty sure that Kirk makes an appearance and possibly Bootsie, but he can't be sure because all he can see when he looks at that stage is Lorelai singing. He tries to remind himself that she was singing to Rory, that she was, in her own goofy sentimental way, saying goodbye to her daughter. That she didn't know he was coming, so the words couldn't possibly _mean_ anything.

But then he sees, played over and over again in his head, that little shrug, that 'I can't help it, it's true' gesture that she made while looking right at him just before exiting sheepishly off the stage.

It shouldn't surprise him how much he wants her to have meant it.

_To be continued_


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Thanks to everyone who's left such kind reviews and to **KinoFille** and **Lula Bo** for the beta.

* * *

A back-up gift for Rory? Who does he think he's kidding?

But he needs that, needs the pretense so that he doesn't get his hopes up. Needs the out to protect himself. Because she hasn't been into the diner. She'd have come in if it meant something, right?

And then she actually does come in, later in the day. Luke had run up to his apartment for a moment and when he returns, Lorelai has already been caught up in what is obviously an interrogation by Patty and Babette.

"No, no, no. It's just karaoke," she protests, her voice strained. "You know, I got swept up in the lyrics and the moment. It didn't…" Her voice trails off when she sees him, her expression helpless. She ducks her head, throwing Luke a glance before turning back to the two women and stammering, "It was-"

"Morning," he cuts in, not sure if he's saving her or saving himself from hearing what she's about to say. "What can I get you?"

He can almost swear the look she flashes at him is grateful, but he tells himself that she's just relieved not to discuss it. Patty and Babette exchange a knowing look before turning away to whisper among themselves, their voices just low enough that he can only assume that he and Lorelai are still the topic of conversation. Trying to ignore them, he turns his attention back to Lorelai.

"Coffee, please," she says with a shy upward glance. "And, um, thanks."

"No problem," he says automatically, though it seems clear that she's not simply thanking him for the coffee. That maybe, just maybe, she appreciates his intervention. They look at each other for a moment longer than necessary, and he lets himself be encouraged by the small smile she gives him before dropping her gaze to her clasped hands.

"It's just," she starts hesitantly, "the town…"

"Is nuts," he finishes. He's not completely sure what she's trying to say to him – it sounds oddly like an apology – but pointing out that they live in a loony bin is always a safe place to take a conversation. He has a sense that she's being cautious rather than intentionally evasive, but he's still having trouble navigating the subtext.

Of course, once they've veered away from whatever it is that they aren't saying out loud, Lorelai lets out a breath that is half relieved sigh and half amused chuckle and says lightly, "Yeah, Taylor's suggestion that we have a week-long festival dedicated to garlic scapes would seem to bear that out."

He responds in kind and they spend the remainder of her visit joking awkwardly about what would happen if Kirk ever challenged Taylor in the race for selectman. And yet again they avoid any mention of exactly what had gone on the other night.

As they do during the next few days when she makes brief stops into the diner for coffee and the occasional muffin.

Late one night, when he's taking out the trash after finally getting the girls' softball team out of the diner, he sees Lorelai in the street gazing up at Kirk, who is hanging in the Lucite box in all of his idiotic glory. She says she's out walking to clear her head and he can't help but wonder if she's got the same thing on her mind that he has on his. If she's thinking about whether they're just going to pretend the whole karaoke thing never happened. And because he's feeling a little frustrated with the not talking, he asks her and finds that she's not thinking about them at all, that she's out here pondering the fact that Rory's punk boyfriend proposed.

But maybe she is thinking about the two of them at least a little bit, since their exchange takes a personal turn, becoming more about the failings of their own engagement than about whether or not Rory is going to accept the proposal. He's very close to calling her on it, so they can finally stop talking around things, but she's leaving and looking ever so slightly pissed, and the only excuse he can think of to keep her from leaving is to give her Rory's gift.

Staring in the drawer though, after he picks up the box with Rory's earrings, the other box stares back, mocking him for being afraid of the subtext. And so he takes the necklace, slipping the slim box into his back pocket.

Once outside, he hands her Rory's box first, "I got this for Rory."

"Oh." She's surprised.

"Yeah," he says, "I just thought it would be better if she got it on the day of her actual graduation."

"Oh, that's…that's…that's nice," Lorelai stammers. "Well, I…"

Before she can make her exit, he pulls the other box from his pocket and hands it to her. She takes it, staring down at the box before lifting her head and eyeing him curiously. "That one's for you," he says, gesturing toward the box.

Her eyes go wide. "Why?"

He shrugs. "I saw it and it looked like you."

She looks at him dubiously then back down at the box.

"Open it," he says gently.

Giving a little nod, she slides the ribbon off the box. When she lifts the lid he watches her expression soften. "Luke, it's beautiful." She fingers the necklace gently before looking up and holding his gaze. "Why?" she asks softly. "What does it mean?"

Taking a deep breath, he asks, his voice a little unstable, "What did, you know, the other night? What did that mean?" It's not entirely fair, he thinks, turning her question back on her, but he needs to know what she's thinking. And he might finally be ready to hear it, regardless of her answer.

She cringes slightly, letting out a nervous chuckle and saying with forced brightness, "You mean my sudden and sadly not unprecedented lack of restraint in front of the whole town?"

"Whatever you want to call it," he says wryly.

"It means…" She sighs, putting the lid back on the box and slipping the ribbon down around it. She's still looking down, toying with the end of the ribbon when she continues. "It means there are…feelings." She's mumbling by the end, but not so much that he can't hear what she's saying. Her smile is uncertain when she glances up at him and he can't help smiling warmly in response, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"That's what this means too," he says with newfound confidence, pointing at the box in her hand.

He hears her sharp intake of breath and looks up to see her shoulders rising and falling as she takes in and lets out air. Her voice, when she speaks, is small, hesitant. "What do we do now?"

"You go see Rory graduate. We'll worry about the rest later."

"But there's just so much," Lorelai says sadly. "There were feelings before and…well…"

"Hey," he interrupts softly, "we've got time to figure it out." He gestures toward the diner behind him. "I'll be here."

"Yeah?" she asks cautiously.

"Yeah." He nods. "Tell Rory congratulations for me?"

"Of course. And this," she pauses, holding up Rory's gift, "is so thoughtful. She'll really appreciate it."

He cocks his head to the side as the corners of his mouth involuntarily turn up into a shy smile. "Good."

"Well, good night, Luke." Lorelai gives a little wave as she turns to go.

"Good night, Lorelai."

_To be continued_

**Author's Note: **Just in case you're curious about garlic scapes: 


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** I had hoped to get this out sooner, but between vacation and the wonderful and thought-provoking feedback from the lovely **KinoFille** and **Lula Bo**, it dragged out a little longer than I'd planned. Thank you for the kind reviews and I hope you enjoy this variation on the events of the finale.

* * *

Luke watches the impromptu 'graduation' scene in front of him with mixed emotions. Logically, he'd known that Rory would move on in a more permanent way once she'd graduated from Yale, but the little tidbits he'd heard about her job search -- not taking the job in Providence and being turned down for the _New York Times_ fellowship -- had made her leaving feel somewhat less immediate. So, as proud as he'd been when Lorelai had announced a few minutes earlier that Rory had gotten a job, he can't help but be surprised by it all. By how soon she'll be leaving and how far away she'll be much of the time.

Rory's been one of the few people, besides her mother, who's bothered to push through his gruff defenses. And yet, unlike the brute force of Lorelai's personality, it has always been Rory's quiet understanding that wins him over. It's what makes her a welcome presence, no matter what else is going on in their lives. And he's only just starting to realize how much he's going to miss her.

And then he realizes, if it's hitting him like this, he can only imagine what it's doing to Lorelai, because she's lived so much of her life for Rory and she's going to be lost without her daughter, without her best friend. Looking more closely as Lorelai makes great ceremony about handing the 'diploma' to Rory, he can see the little signs that betray Lorelai's anxiety. The too-tight smile that falls short of carefree. The slight brittleness in her lively voice. The actions that are a touch too animated.

She wraps up her performance, but even with Lorelai selling it as enthusiastically as she can and Rory dutifully playing along, their audience isn't satisfied.

"Hon," Lorelai says to Rory, shooing her across the diner," I think you'd better go explain who Barack Obama is so they understand you're not skipping out on your graduation for just any old gig. That only a future president is a big enough draw to beat out a Stars Hollow shindig."

"Skipping out?" Rory protests. "I graduated quite successfully in front of hundreds of people last week."

"Shh. Don't let them hear you say that."

Rory points an accusing finger at her mother. "This is your fault."

Lorelai raises her hands in innocence. "My fault? How is it my fault? They're the insane ones," she says, pointing at the gaggle of townspeople surrounding Babette.

"You encourage the insanity," Rory grumbles as she turns and walks away.

Lorelai's gaze follows her daughter for a moment before she turns back and catches Luke's eye. "Hey, I'm really sorry about the burgers and stuff for the party. You're sure you didn't order them yet? I can still pay you for them."

"Nope," he lies. "I was going to order them this afternoon."

"Okay, good," she replies, lifting her coffee to take a sip and dropping herself back onto the stool she'd vacated a few minutes earlier. When she sets her cup on the counter, he sees her shoulders slump; she lets out a soft sigh as she slowly traces her index finger around the lid of her cup.

"You okay?" he asks. He can't really imagine how she could be and he wishes briefly – before he can push the thought from his mind -- that he could take her hands and run his thumbs soothingly over her skin or pull her close and drop a kiss on her forehead.

She responds quickly, "I'm fine," but when he lifts his eyebrow in question, she lets out another sigh. "It's just so soon. We were going to go on all the roller coasters."

Throwing her a curious look, he asks, "Yeah?"

"It was going to be our last big Gilmore Girls event: an amusement park tour of America." She smiles ruefully. "But now she's going to see America without me. Well, at least the parts of America with a lot of electoral votes."

He gives her a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry you're not going to be able to go."

She looks up at him gratefully. "Thanks," she says softly. "You know, I know it's ridiculous, but it was really sweet that the town wanted this whole crazy re-enactment thing. That they care about her like that." Her voice is wistful, her lips curved into a sad smile, and in that moment he can see everything in her expression: the happiness that her daughter has achieved what they've both worked for all her life, and the realization that fulfillment of that dream requires that she let go of the most important person in her life.

They're interrupted by Rory, who returns to her mother's side a moment later, muttering about escaping before an elaborate kidnapping plan is hatched. He's not sure if it's because of the sadness itself or the fact that he's been allowed to see it, but as he watches Lorelai force a bright smile and consult their shopping list, he's already got a plan forming in his mind.

* * *

He's spent most of the party at the grill, watching her. Watching the love, pride, sadness, and joy play across her face. She looks radiant, and a little awestruck. He's not sure who had the forethought to invite her parents – Sookie perhaps -- but she seems to be pleased in spite of herself that they're here. There's a certain ease in their interactions that, though surprising, seems as though it's been a long time coming.

He has a fleeting urge to step up behind her and wrap her in his arms. It makes him wonder, were things different, if he could be a part of this scene, if he could whisper words of congratulations and comfort and love in her ear. But this night isn't about his wishes and hopes, so he stays in the background and lets what he's already done be enough.

She does spend some time hovering near the grill, near him. They haven't resolved anything, but she's wearing his necklace and throwing him little smiles, just like she's been doing all week.

She hasn't worn it every time he's seen her in the last week since he'd given her the necklace. The very next time she'd been to the diner it was there around her neck. It was the first thing he'd noticed during her quick coffee stop, and when she had noticed him noticing, she'd thrown him a quick, quiet grin. He had slid her to-go cup across the counter and they'd exchanged some lively banter while she'd taken her first few sips of coffee. Before she'd gotten up to go, he'd leaned toward her, brushing his fingers on the back of her wrist as he whispered, "It looks good on you."

She'd blushed, though whether from the compliment or from the touch he's not sure. "Thank you," she'd whispered back. "You do know how to pick them."

He'd shrugged, suddenly a little shy himself. "It looked like you."

As he and Lorelai exchange another long look over the grill now, he marvels at how natural it feels already. There have been a few moments this week that have been reminiscent of that shy, awkward time right after he'd first asked her out three years ago. But what he's felt even more is how comfortable it's all been. He hadn't noticed until this past week how careful their conversations had been ever since he and Lorelai had begun talking again, hadn't been fully aware of the unspoken rules they apparently had for what they talked about and what they didn't.

But ever since admitting their feelings the night he'd given her the necklace, much of that has dropped away. It's not that he hadn't suspected what she'd felt after watching her sing, but to hear her say it out loud, to not shrink away from the words and what they might mean, is what had really fed his hope. Since then he's not even sure he could explain in words what's different, but it feels like she's letting him back in, letting him see what's really going on behind the bright façade she puts up for most everyone else. That maybe she's even letting herself need him. And that, more than anything, has made him confident that they can work it out – that she wants to work it out -- even if things are still up in the air between them.

Before Lorelai has a chance to ask for something to eat, she's interrupted by Emily. Throwing Luke an apologetic glance, Lorelai follows her mother and he takes the opportunity to go back to the diner for some charcoal. On his way back he sees her heading toward him, looking fiercely determined. Before he can say anything she says quietly, "You did this. You did all this."

It's not a question but he nods anyway.

"Luke." It's hope and warmth and a plea all in one, and then she's leaning in and so is he and the charcoal is on the ground and her lips are on his. He can feel her stretch up on her toes to lean in closer, feel her hand gripping his arm. Looping his arm around her neck, he holds her there until he can't pull her any closer.

He feels her fall back on her heels and he loosens his grip, dropping his hands to her waist.

"Thank you," she whispers, her voice full of emotion.

"I just like to see you happy," he admits, the words gravelly with feeling.

She takes a deep breath, her voice a little shaky when she speaks. "I am." She bites her lip. "I mean, not about the soon-to-be empty nest, but…"

"I get it." He pauses. "I am too."

They stand there for a moment, both seemingly at a loss for words. Giving a grim smile, she says with apprehension, "We still have to talk."

He nods in agreement and admits with a sigh, "Yeah, we do." Watching as worry flits across her eyes, he can see that whatever hesitation she's shown hasn't been about reluctance, but about fear of failing yet again. But this is it, he knows, this is their chance, so he smiles back at her reassuringly and says, "We need to talk about how we're going to make it work this time."

A bright smile dawns across her face and he can see the fear start to fade away. There's a teasing note in her voice when she asks, "Yeah?"

He nods seriously, then smiles. "No more farting around."

Her eyes grow wide in surprise and she sputters, "Farting around? Oh, is that what we were doing?"

"Well, we were…" He hesitates, shaking his head. "Not now. Go back to Rory's party. We can talk later."

"About making it work?" she confirms.

"Yep."

"Just like that?"

He grins confidently. "Just like that."

She grabs his hand and leans in to kiss him again before he picks up charcoal and they walk back to party. He drops the bag next to the grill and she pauses, as if she's unsure what to do next. "Go find Rory," he says, brushing his closed fist against her hip. "I'm not going anywhere."

_Fin_


End file.
